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Primary parents webinar: Supporting my child –  22nd March

Topic Areas –

Parent Wellbeing; Child Wellbeing; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Mental Health; Wellbeing; Homeschooling; Covid 19. 

This webinar will offer practical advice to parents who once again find themselves juggling home and school in one place. This webinar will explore how to support your child’s emotional wellbeing whilst also taking care of your own. It will identify how to motivate your child depending on age and examine how to connect with your child.

Primary Discussion Topics 

What is my child’s brain doing?

• Social and emotional communication

• Why empathy is the number one tool

• Calming strategies…..My cup first.

• Supporting my child through change

Learning Outcomes 

To explore social and emotional communication.

• To identify ways to build routine, connection and motivation.

• To examine when and how to using calming strategies.

Facilitator – Nicola Culloty 

Nicola Culloty is a primary educator with twenty years experience and has completed a Masters in CBT and is currently practising as a CBT therapist. Nicola founded Full Circle CBT in 2020 and provides webinar and on site training to teachers, service providers and agencies. Nicola has facilitated parenting groups and worked closely with parents of children who have experienced trauma in her roles as teacher, therapist and HSCL.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS: please choose Registration Type “Parent” when setting up your user account on our site.

To book your place  CLICK HERE

Post Primary Parent Webinar – Supporting My Adolescent 

Topic Areas –

Parent Wellbeing; Adolescent Wellbeing; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Mental Health; Wellbeing; Homeschooling; Covid 19.

Description –

This webinar will offer practical advice to parents who once again find themselves juggling home and school in one place. This webinar will explore how to support and motivate adolescents. It will also identify ways that we can make space for emotions and build connection.

 

Primary Discussion Topics

• How to support social connections

• Improving self esteem and feelings of competence

• How to explore anxiety and strategies for reducing anxious moments.

• How to increase motivation.

 

Learning Outcomes

• To explore how to support adolescents with remote learning.

• To identify ways to build routine, connection and motivation.

• To determine ways of increasing selfesteem, competence and independence. 

Facilitator – Nicola Culloty 

Nicola Culloty is a primary educator with twenty years experience and has completed a Masters in CBT and is currently practising as a CBT therapist. Nicola founded Full Circle CBT in 2020 and provides webinar and on site training to teachers, service providers and agencies. Nicola has facilitated parenting groups and worked closely with parents of children who have experienced trauma in her roles as teacher, therapist and HSCL.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS: please choose Registration Type “Parent” when setting up your user account on our site.

To book your place CLICK HERE

Webinar – Google Classroom for Parents

** 11th February IS FULLY BOOKED ** 

EXTRA DATE Wednesday 17th February @ 7pm. Tutor: Ailbhe Nolan

This course has been designed to help parents understand and assist children using google classroom.

It is suitable for parents of primary and secondary school students.

The following are the course objectives:

  1. Understand the main features of google classroom.
  2. Log in to google classroom.
  3. Facilitate your child accessing and submitting work on google classroom.
  4. Review teacher feedback.
  5. Access further support.
  6. Answer questions 
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS: please choose Registration Type “Parent” when setting up your user account on our site.
 
To register CLICK HERE

Webinar – Class Dojo for parents.

Explaining to parents how to use CLASS DOJO for remote learning

Monday 8th February @ 7pm. Tutor: Declan Ward.

This webinar will take approx forty minutes. It would be a great idea for schools to publicise it in case parents in those schools who are using Class Dojo need training in how the app works.

This short webinar which is targeted towards parents in a school who are using Class Dojo, will demonstrate and show how the Class Dojo app can be used from the parents side. Training like this for parents will hopefully lead to better understanding and engagement on how the app works.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS: please choose Registration Type “Parent” when setting up your user account on our site.

To register CLICK HERE

 

Webinar – SEESAW for Parents

In this short webinar, we will explain to parents how to use the seesaw app and answer any questions on Seesaw.

Monday 15th February @ 7pm. Tutor: Declan Ward

Declan is a primary school teacher and summer course ICT tutor with Athlone and Laois Education Centres.  Declan has delivered a range of ICT courses to help teachers improve their ICT knowledge and improve their ability to deliver learning remotely. As we now enter another school lockdown, teachers and parents may find these courses to be especially useful in these challenging times.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS / GUARDIANS: please choose Registration Type “Parent” when setting up your user account on our site.

To register CLICK HERE

 

NCSE supports for schools and parents

 

For parents of children with special educational needs

  • NCSE have created a dedicated phone line for parents to get advice and support from SENOs. The SENO will provide support and advice to parents and where relevant provide specific resources e.g. behaviour strategies, NEPS well-being resources. If necessary parents can book a subsequent appointment with the SENO assigned to their child’s school. This new phone number is 01 603 3456 (from Monday 11 January).
  • For students who might be moving between schools in September 2021, SENOs will undertake structured engagement with relevant students and their families. This engagement will involve advice and support on transition strategies appropriate to the student, along with support in securing a school placement where required.
  • SENOs will continue to provide a series of webinars for parents of students with special education needs starting primary school in September 2021.
  • The NCSE has a Visiting Teacher service which provides direct support to children who are blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing and their teachers. Visiting Teachers continue to be available to provide advice and support to parents, students and teachers during this period of remote teaching and learning. Visiting Teachers will undertake structured engagement with the families of students to whom they currently provide support to. This engagement will involve an initial check in with advice on available supports and resources. In particular, the Visiting Teacher will provide support on the use of assistive technology in the home. The Visiting Teacher will agree a programme of regular engagement with the student and family as required and will remain available to respond to emerging queries over the course of remote teaching and learning. Contact details for visiting teachers are available at https://ncse.ie/vt_contact_details. If parents experience difficulties contacting their Visiting Teacher they should call 01 603 3200.
  • NCSE will also be releasing a brand new suite of short videos for parents. Topics will include managing behaviour; establishing positive routines; building in movement breaks etc.
  • NCSE will also be updating and enhancing its range of resources for parents available at https://ncse.ie/parent-resources many of which were created with specific reference to remote teaching and learning.

For teachers in special schools and special classes that are delivering remote teaching and learning

 
  • NCSE has a number of dedicated advisors in the area of behaviour, autism and other special educational needs. The NCSE is setting up a phone line where teachers in a special school or special class can speak directly to an advisor. This new phone number is 01 603 3233 (from Monday 11 January).
  • NCSE will be developing a brand new suite of short videos for teachers on how best to support children and young people with special educational needs when they are learning remotely. These will include tips and strategies for engaging learners with online learning as well as more general advice about supporting the well-being of students.
  • The NCSE has a Visiting Teacher Service which provides direct support to children who are blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing and their teachers. This service will continue to be delivered online.
  • Schools can continue to access NCSE online support https://ncse.ie/school-support provided in the form of telephone support, email support, or via video conferencing. Teachers in special classes and special schools can request support specific to their needs or the needs of the children in their school/class. Bespoke training is designed by NCSE Advisors, with input from Behaviour Practitioners, OTs and SLTs as required and will be delivered using appropriate online platforms.
  • Schools who established their first ASD Special Class for 2020/21 were assigned a link advisor during the 4 day training course in September/ October 2020. These advisors remain assigned to these classes and are available to provide support and advice to the special class teacher.
  • NCSE will continue to deliver a range of online seminars for teachers https://ncse.ie/for-schools/connect-teacher-professional-learning-events-catalogue covering a range of topics including supporting children with autism in school, positive behaviour management, assistive technology etc. These courses are designed to increase teachers’ capacity to support and teach students with special educational needs.
  • The NCSE has a Visiting Teacher service which provides direct support to children who are blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing and their teachers. Visiting Teachers continue to be available to provide advice and support. Contact details for visiting teachers are available at https://ncse.ie/vt_contact_details. If teachers experience difficulties contacting their Visiting Teacher they should call 01 603 3200.

 

For teachers of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools that are delivering remote teaching and learning

  • NCSE has created a dedicated phone line for teachers to seek advice with regard to delivering remote teaching and learning to children with special educational needs. Teachers calling this line can access a number of NCSE advisors with expertise in a range of special educational needs.   This new phone number is 01 603 3233 (from Monday 11 January).
  • NCSE will be developing a brand new suite of short videos for teachers on how best to support children and young people with special educational needs when they are learning remotely. These will include tips and strategies for engaging learners with online learning as well as more general advice about supporting the well-being of students.
  • Schools will continue to have access to NCSE online support https://ncse.ie/school-support provided in the form of telephone support, email support, or via video conferencing. Teachers in in mainstream schools can request support specific to their needs or the needs of the children in their school/class. Bespoke training is designed by NCSE Advisors, with input from Behaviour Practitioners, OTs and SLTs as required and will be delivered using appropriate online platforms.
  • NCSE will be delivering a range of online seminars for teachers https://ncse.ie/for-schools/connect-teacher-professional-learning-events-catalogue covering a range of topics including supporting children with autism in school, positive behaviour management, assistive technology etc. These courses are designed to increase teachers’ capacity to support and teach students with special educational needs.
  • The NCSE has a whole range of resources https://ncse.ie/teacher-resources covering a wide range of topics, including useful apps to facilitate remote teaching and learning https://ncse.ie/useful-apps and other useful resources that were prepared in response to the last period of remote teaching and learning.
  • The NCSE has a Visiting Teacher service which provides direct support to children who are blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing and their teachers. Visiting Teachers continue to be available to provide advice and support. Contact details for visiting teachers are available at https://ncse.ie/vt_contact_details. If teachers experience difficulties contacting their Visiting Teacher they should call 01 603 3200.

MICROSOFT TEAMS FOR PARENTS

Thursday January 14th 2021 @ 19:00 hrs

To register CLICK HERE

Help My Kid Learn Z-cards - Resources for Parents

Help My Kid Learn Z-Cards are for parents of primary school children. They are being distributed to Primary Schools via the Education Centre Network. They are credit sized cards that fold out like a map with 24 great ways to keep children entertained and learning over Christmas - be it on car journeys, rainy days or out and about. The Z-cards have been developed as part of the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. The national strategy Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life, includes a range of actions to enable parents and communities to support children’s learning. The strategy recognises that parents who are engaged in their child's learning, have a significant positive impact on a child’s educational achievement - especially in literacy and numeracy.

As part of this strategy, the Department asked the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) to highlight the role that parents and communities can play in improving children’s literacy and numeracy, using media, online resources and celebrity endorsements.

To achieve this, NALA has developed Help My Kid Learn – a simple website that brings together relevant information for parents and the wider community to support children’s literacy and numeracy development.

The website’s purpose is to provide fun activities that parents can do with their children to develop their literacy and numeracy. It includes general information, fun activities and useful tips. Help My Kid Learn is a website where people can see that supporting a child’s literacy and numeracy development is a natural, easy and fun activity that can be integrated into any part of their day.

There are already a wide range of statutory and voluntary groups at community level supporting the literacy and numeracy development of children and adults. This website aims to work with, and support all those efforts by providing a single reference point for parents and guardians to better understand their role in their children’s literacy and numeracy development.

Aistear for Parents

What is Aistear?
Aistear is a curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland. It describes the types of learning that are important for babies, toddlers and young children.
 

How can Aistear help me me as a parent?
There are lots of great examples, exciting ideas, and practical suggestions in Aistear to help you as a parent. For example, the Framework suggests lots of things you can do to help your child learn through everyday activities and routines, such as getting food ready for meals, going to the shops, and checking the post. Aistear shows how important play is for your child’s learning and development, and gives ideas for ways you and your child can play and learn together. And the good news is that this doesn’t mean you have to buy expensive toys. Aistear has a long list of low-cost and free resources for play.

Who else is Aistear for?
If your child goes to a crèche, a childminder, a playgroup, a pre-school, or a primary school the practitioner there may also be using Aistear. The Framework has lots of suggestions for how you along with the childminder, the practitioner or teacher might work together to help your child settle into the new surroundings and benefit from all the fun and exciting opportunities that are provided to support his/her learning and development.

Where can I find Aistear?
Aistear is available in English and in Irish at www.ncca.ie/earlylearning. When you visit the website, click on the Aistear logo to go to the Framework. If you don’t have the internet at home check your local library to see if you can get online there.

Junior Cycle fact sheets from the NCCA

The NCCA has recently developed a set of fact sheets, which give information about the different subjects available in junior cycle. While the fact sheets have been designed with sixth class pupils and first year students in mind, they will also be useful for parents.  The fact sheets are available in 25 junior cycle subjects and are published in English and Irish. To access please click here : Junior Cycle Fact Sheets page on the NCCA website.

Bi-Lingual Information for Parents DES

The Department of Education and Science has now published education information on its website in 6 languages – German, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Spanish and Russian.   It is hoped that the information will be of help to parents whose first language is not English and who have children of school age.    For further information please visit the Department of Education and Science website at  www.education.ie

Drumcondra Education Centre
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